Sadee, giggled. “Hey Adrian Sorel, how well do you know Cai? Is he dating anyone?” She spoke with Adrian but kept her eyes on Cai, silently rooting him on as he worked to figure out the problem without the man’s help.

“Uh…I don’t think so.”Adrian Sorel said uncertainly. Cai had certainly never spoken about any girls with him. He wasn’t even sure Cai would be interested in girl’s like that. Though with humans it was hard to tell, he had noted that they seemed to have an obsession with such things.

After some minutes something clicked in his head, Red had been right in some part. If he followed the old geezers first move and advice then included what Sadee had suggested…then made one slight adjustment.

“Checkmate…” He said making move three and sat back folding his arms. A slight smug smirk on his face. Satisfaction at the thing being dealt with and solved.

Cai

Sadee began clapping enthusiastically, her face lighting up at Cai’s victory, and then, rather quickly, she became self-conscious. She felt silly and stopped clapping immediately. Her expression returned to it’s usual seriousness. “Poin- um, I mean, Adrian Sorel, we’re friends, right?”

“Umm…yes? Though I have always been confused by what humans mean by friends…” Adrian Sorel said hesitantly.

Dr Jarvis looked up from his dinner at the clapping girl and rolled his eyes. He did not need to have overheard her conversation with the half-Vulcan to tell that she had unrequited feelings towards the boy whom he sat opposite. He was not sure which he found more pitiful, her attempts to curry the boy’s favour or his complete ignorance of the fact.

“I do not see why you are applauding him. He only figured out one move of the puzzle by himself, ” he said to the girl, his voice full of scorn.

Cai scowled at the man.

He then turned his attention to the chess board and began arranging the pieces into a new puzzle. “If you have time why don’t you ponder this one, ” he said to Cai, placing the last piece on the board. “It’s one of Klepton’s more obscure situations, however, still quite an interesting little puzzle. In this instance he is on the offensive, but appears to make a mistake.” Jasper moved a black bishop and then swiftly took it with a white knight. “You’re goal is to figure out why he made this move and how it led to his eventual victory.”

Dr J. Jarvis M.D

Cai watched him, silver eyes scanning the board and the man’s hand movements as he set up the puzzle and explained it. Looking at the older man a moment Cai seemed to scan his features as if looking for the answer there.

He turned his attention back to the board and swallowed before leaning forward. His right hand began to rub the small black spacer in his right ear lobe thoughtfully. After a few moments he reached out and moved two more pieces, took a white pawn then moved his queen. “Checkmate.” He said and looked at Jasper again. “Feel free to applaud this time,” he added.

Cai